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"42, 43, 44…"
Whipsaw held her head up to look at the stalagmite. A lone droplet ran down to then fall into a stinky puddle beneath. She exhaled, frustrated, and let her helm slam against the ground.
Only 44 droplets of pure mind-breaking boredom had gone by.
44 droplets since uncle Terrorsaur had given her the task of counting 3 thousand falling droplets so she'd finally get the reward she desperately wanted.
The last few weeks she had been unusually focused and diligent; just like Terrorsaur instructed. She took over his tasks, covered his weekly patrol and even stood in for him in one of the various battles the Predacons surprised the Maximals with.
Now, she was just a single task away from her promised reward.
That being said, Whipsaw didn't understand why counting 3 thousand droplets was so important to Terrorsaur.
She was already in too deep to question him, and couldn't give up now, no matter how hard the situation was. And by Primus it was hard.
"45, 46, 47"
Maybe if she didn't pay attention to them they'd fall faster.
"48, 49, 50"
It isn't easy to picture a bot as powerful as Whipsaw horrified, yet horror was the only thing on her face. The wait was torturous.
"51, 52, 53"
Perhaps the best course of action wasn't to ignore the droplets or the time. For a second, she thought that if she put all her focus on counting the falling drops everything would end soon.
"54, 55, 56"
As if commanded by an invisible force, the bot put her whole willpower into attentively counting the drops and pondering their movement.
"57, 58, 59"
Her mind immediately wandered.
She thought of the promised reward, the way she learned of its existence.
The wonder of discovering that the unusual connection she felt to her uncle Terrorsaur wasn't a coincidence after all.
Something in both of them called for each other, a trait in common that tied them together despite their radically different personalities. As Whipsaw became closer and closer to her uncle it became obvious their sparks resonated.
As if both of them had lived thousands of sorrows through the millennia; events they couldn't remember, someone else's memories.
When she closes her optics, ready to go into recharge, Whipsaw sees distressing scenes. Prisons, chains, guards and pain; blurry imagery courtesy of her sire, Rampage, her progenitor.
Only once had she ever considered asking Protoform X for an explanation of the visions that plagued her mind, stopping herself from doing so, feeling the pain that consumed him whenever he remembered what once was.
What does Terrorsaur see when he closes his optics? Does he also see a past that isn't his? Does he have parents too? That idea was quickly dismissed as she learned that having parents isn't common for Cybertronians. Nevertheless, Terrorsaur didn't seem to be the kind of bot that dreams, but instead the kind that daydreams.
In the midst of battle she kept stopping to contemplate Terrorsaur. Brief seconds when he muttered something under his breath. Erratic blinking gave away the fact something was wrong.
Whipsaw had been witness to the violent movements that destabilized and changed Terrorsaur's flight trajectory, as if something possessed him, influencing his combat tactics.
"Who lives inside you?" She asked one evening, deep inside the jungle in sector 13, while patrolling. Terrorsaur evaded the question, which made Whipsaw even more intrigued. So she persisted, again and again and again; pushing her comrade’s patience to its limits with the same repetitive questions. "Who do you talk with?" "Are they friendly?" "What's their name?"
It wasn't long before the young predacon finally got an answer, just not the one she expected.
"COULD YOU STOP THE STUPID QUESTIONS OF THIS PRED KID!?"
Terrorsaur snapped back in an instant before covering his mouth with his hands, embarrassed. The voice that came out of his voice box wasn't like his, it was screechy and desperate. After exchanging mutters with the voice, he answered Whipsaw's burning questions.
Unfortunately for her, Terrorsaur talked about stuff that was impossible to comprehend. A long history lesson about a millennia long war where ancient Cybertronians fought each other over control of old artifacts and resources.
Whipsaw got back on track once Terrorsaur mentioned a particular character. A seeker named Starscream, famous both because of his silver tongue and his treacherous nature. The ghost inside him made him slap himself, offended by the insult.
That ancestral backstabbing bot was somehow blessed with an eternal spark, capable of surviving the destruction of its body. It had endured millions of years in the cold vacuum of space, and only recently had made its home inside Terrorsaur.
Like a home haunted by a grieving ghost, Terrorsaur was Starscream's host.
The youngling did not understand much of what was said, all she got through was that Terrorsaur's second spark, the eternal one, was nicknamed Starscream.
Both predacon and decepticon commanded Whipsaw to never mention anything of what was said to her to anyone else, their calculated plan would get ruined if the decepticon's presence was discovered.
Whipsaw nodded, neither of them trusted her silence.
Their second plan was to beg, they were so, so, so close to finally finishing their master scheme to defeat Megatron and take control of the Predacons. Convinced by their pathetic pleading, Whipsaw promised to keep her mouth shut.
The promise did not last long.
That night Whipsaw couldn't fall into recharge, her mind busy formulating ideas. Ideas about her family. Ideas about her and Rampage's immortal condition. The idea of sharing it with her other father.
In her beast mode, she silently crept through the hallways of the Darksyde towards Terrorsaur's personal quarters. There she hung from the wall, her arthropod appendages shaking in excitement, waiting for daybreak.
Six cycles went by until Terrorsaur walked out of the steel door. Whipsaw jumped off the ceiling and hit herself against the hard steel floor, Terrorsaur shrieked.
"Can I have Starscream's spark?" Asked the little one.
Realizing that Whipsaw had waited there since Primus knows when made the predacon pinch the bridge of his nose. Without a word he walked back into his quarters.
"It's way too early for this scra-" The door closed in front of Whipsaw’s face.
There truly was no escaping from Whipsaw. Terrorsaur thought he had put an end to her harassment, but was proven exceptionally wrong. At any day, any cycle and in any sector; Whipsaw was there, bugging the soldier with hundreds of childish arguments for why he should give Starscream's spark to her.
"Please uncle Terrorsaur, I promise I'll take good care of him." "I beg you, nothing would make me happier." "Maybe just for a little while? Please?"
Little did Whipsaw know, deep down in Terrorsaur's mind, hidden somewhere so deep that the decepticon wouldn't find it; the predacon was already plotting how to get rid of the whiney voice of the greatest decepticon loser in all of history.
Even then, whether he wanted it or not, both him and the spark inside of him were so fed up with the crab that the idea of giving Starscream up to her sounded endearing. Whatever got her off their backs for at least a day.
As he walked to Whipsaw's makeshift quarters, the desperate solution twisted upon itself and became a selfish plan, as was expected of someone like Terrorsaur. What if he took advantage of Whipsaw's desperate wish?
"Hey sweetie, can we talk?" He made his best effort to fit inside the kid's minuscule room, ideal for someone as small as her but suffocating for any other bot. "Your uncle Terrorsaur wanted to talk with you about something that... I know has plagued your mind these last few weeks." Whipsaw's face lit up, radiating excitement. "I know that your small spark wishes for nothing more than to have Starscream, your very own Starscream"
"UNCLE TERRORSAUR I ASSURE YOU I'LL TAKE GOOD CARE OF HIM, HIS OWNER WILL BE A LOVING BO—" Terrorsaur put a servo over Whipsaw's mouthplate, shushing her and doing his best to hide his profound irritation.
"I know. But something like this is an enormous responsibility. Are you sure you're ready to take care of Starscream?"
She frantically nodded. Reaching probably 10 nods per second.
"I know you believe so, but it's not as easy as you think, dear niece." He did the best mockery of a sad face he could.
"What do you mean, uncle Terrorsaur?"
He stood up, not without hitting his head on the lintel of the automatic doors. A small hiss was heard. "Ah— you see, Starscream is very dear to me, if I ever commended him to someone else I'd have to make sure they're a responsible, rational and dependable bot."
Whipsaw didn't know what those words meant. "I CAN BE THAT BOT, I CAN BE THAT BOT, I CAN BE RESPONSIBLE, NATIONAL AND REPENDABLE"
"You'll have to prove it, then." He grinned.
He effortlessly transferred his duties and responsibilities to the small bot. First week in, he and Starscream not only rejoiced the much needed silence, but the simple life that was given to them by the small... aide. The word "slave" was too blunt.
The second week went by, both were surprised to see Whipsaw did not question nor challenge her exploited position. Diligently, she took over his guarding shifts and other tasks. It wasn't as if it was putting Whipsaw in danger, after all, the most frustrating feature of the kid was how skilled she naturally was at combat. What kind of danger could an immortal creature like her truly be under?
In the third week Terrorsaur spent a whole megacycle in the CR chamber after a vicious encounter with the Maximals. He walked out of the machine exhausted, dragging himself to his quarters. Whipsaw followed him and kneeled on the ground, offering herself as a little stool for Terrorsaur to rest his pedes on.
Proud of how brilliantly he managed to turn a huge annoyance into a great advantage he laid back on his berth, extending his legs to rest them atop Whipsaw. Although he and Starscream shared the same proud sentiment, he felt... uneasy. Another week went by, and just before he left to recharge, Whipsaw approached, timid. "Uncle Terrorsaur, i just wanted to... ask about Starscream and what you promised…”
Terrorsaur let out a pitiful sigh. "I know, little crustacean, I know. You've proven yourself to be, uh— Responsible." He struggled to remember the excuse he used to trick the kid. "How about we discuss Starscream's needs tomorrow? So you can start prepping?"
Whipsaw was so happy she transformed into her beast mode and did 4 aerial flips, somehow. She landed back down in her bot mode, making her excitement extremely obvious. "THANK YOU SO SO SO SOOO MUCH"
Laying down on his berth, for a second, Terrorsaur accepted that he'd have to say goodbye to Starscream.
"Are you serious? You're really going to do that?" That irritating voice interrupted his brief peace of mind. "I thought this was about taking advantage of the brat. How dare you even THINK of giving me away to a bitlet that can't even look after herself?"
Terrorsaur closed his optics, as if mitigating his senses would make the situation better. "Sometimes you are fragging unbearable." He affirmed internally.
"Oh, my bad. I'm sorry you have to put up with, hmm... I don't know, my brilliant combat tactics? Or the invaluable strategic intel I give you?"
"I know. Look, just— shut up. I'm not giving you up. I won't waste my greatest chance to defeat Megatron."
"Hm. Good to know you still have common sense." A profound silence fooled Starscream into believing Terrorsaur had fallen into recharge.
"I'm not going to keep on exploiting her like this.”
In the morning both of them had agreed to rendezvous in sector 27.5 as the sun reached its zenith. Excited and impatient, Whipsaw followed Terrorsaur inside a cave.
"These last few weeks you have proven your determination, your commitment to receive the spark of the... honorable Starscream. However, when receiving an immortal spark there's a virtue you must possess; patience. I've brought you here for your last task. A "test", if you will."
As Terrorsaur explained the last assignment she'd have to endure, the enthusiasm on Whipsaw's face drained.
Dumbfounded, she asked. "Do I really have to count 3 thousand drops falling from that rock spike?"
"It's a stalagmite. And yes. 3 thousand exactly, no more, no less." He answered with deceiving confidence. "Once you do so, I'll know you have enough patience in you for such a responsibility." He sneakily backed towards the exit. "And don't forget, dear niece, I'll know if you cheat or lie to me! I wish you the best of luck, Whipsaw!"
He transformed and flew away from the cavern, leaving Whipsaw alone. Determined and desperate to not lose her motivation, she laid down, elbows on the ground, holding her head up while kicking her pedes in the air.
"1, 2, 3...." She spaced out for a couple cycles thinking of something else entirely, before snapping back.
How many droplets had already fallen? A hundred? A thousand? Where did she left off? Like on 40 or 50?.....
A frustrated growl echoed through the cave. "This is stupid!" She exclaimed, standing up and kicking the dirt at her feet.
In the blink of an eye her whip sword was unsheathed. Enraged, she sliced the stalagmite with a perfect blow. It wasn't enough. Moments later there wasn't a single stalagmite or stalactite left in the cave, all that was left were cleanly sliced protuberances on the rocks. Dozens of small cuts she unknowingly caused herself covered her chassis. She didn't care.
Once the anger dissipated, Whipsaw fell to her knees, trying to hold back tears that began to clump on her optics. She slammed her fists on the ground, and just as she thought it couldn't get worse, an abrupt impact overwhelmed her.
Her helm hit the ground as an oversized stalagmite she didn't notice before broke off the ceiling and impaled the back of her neck. Now on the floor, she punched the ground with feeble fists.
She had failed. Terrorsaur would never give her Starscream's spark. Her plan to make Depth Charge immortal just like her and Rampage had failed spectacularly.
. . .
On the next day, Whipsaw abandoned her usual patrolling shift to swim to an isolated beach in sector 60. It wasn't the first time she'd done it, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.
She crept on the sand to enter the makeshift base of her father; Depth Charge. He was messing around with a computer made of salvaged high-tech junk. On the monitor a single blinking dot appeared on a map that showed the predacon ship. He was tracking down a particular bot.
The wound on Whipsaw's neck seeped oxide. She didn't notice.
"Father." She greeted nervously.
With an uninterested gesture he acknowledged the presence of the bitlet that he had accidentally conceived. "I thought you wouldn't come here anymore." He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.
"I'm sorry, I was really busy these past weeks."
"Really?" He looked back at the monitor, faking interest.
"Yeah. I... I tried to get you something. A gift."
"What kind of gift?" He asked, still uninterested.
"A spark." She admitted.
Depth Charge turned to look at her. Almost instantly his tone became menacing. "Did you hurt someone?" He asked, assuming the worst.
"No- No, no!" She stuttered. "It- It was a different kind of spark! A kind of spark that doesn't die easily, like mine and—" She stopped herself, remembering how badly Depth Charge reacted whenever she mentioned her other father.
"Where would you get a spark like that?" The soldier replied, reluctant.
"Well- Um, it belongs to uh... Terrorsaur but also to-" She doubted. "It's a voice that lives inside him, but.... like— Millions of years ago a war between Autobots and..." The Maximal didn't even try to make sense of the childish rambling. "It's really hard to explain, and to be honest— I think it was too good to be true anyways. But, hey, it's the thought that counts, isn't it?" She smiled sheepishly, trying to lighten up the mood.
The only answer she got was a deafening silence.
The blinking dot on Depth Charge's monitor was disrupted by static interference; appearing on multiple points across the screen. "What's happening? Come on, work!" Eventually, the dot disappeared. His prey managed to escape once more.
The maximal slammed his fist on the wooden input device he'd crafted up. He let out a sharp and stressed groan. "And why would I want an immortal spark?"
"I don't know..." Whipsaw confessed. "Maybe to merge it with yours and see what it's like to have an immortal spark?" Abruptly, Depth Charge drew closer to his daughter. The indignation in his gaze was palpable. She kept on talking. "With a spark like ours, maybe you could live forever... So once the sun explodes and the beast wars end, you, me and dad could—."
“No."
His voice was as soft as it was brutal. He stomped on the sand and dug his heel in, emphasizing the severity of his words. "I've gone through enough for a lifetime. Last thing I want is a monster's spark embedded in me."
Whipsaw felt a lump twist in her throat. "I- I understand. I'm sorry."
A speck of remorse confronted the maximal. "Go back to your teammates. They must be searching for you."
She struggled to look him in the eye. "You're right. I'm on it." She muttered something and transformed, ending up laying on the sand in her crab mode. Her shell gave her a feeling of protection from Depth Charge's gaze. She crawled to the edge of the water, and turned to say goodbye to her father. "I'll see you later..." She submerged herself in the water.
"Thank you for coming." Depth Charge's tone was apologetic, but cold.
Whipsaw swam slower than usual. She assumed her sorrow was what affected her underwater performance. Unbeknownst to her, the cause of her malaise wasn't in her mind, but in her body.
…
Terrorsaur was taken aback when Whipsaw came back to the ship and didn't even try to talk to him. Was she embarrassed of not passing the test purposefully crafted to guarantee her failure?
"Don't even think of talking to her." Starscream ordered. "You finally got rid of that annoyance and even got weeks of free labor. You've won in this situation, don't try her or she'll end up opening that big mouth of hers, begging to adopt me."
Terrorsaur did not answer, but went to stand next to the little one as she fiddled with the bridge computer. "Whipsaw, it's so good to see you again. How did the droplet thing go?"
"Ah.... The drops? Uhhh... I didn't count them all. I got bored and left." She replied after a few moments of wandering in her thoughts.
"I see.... Seems like you weren't ready to adopt Starscream after all, right?" Whipsaw was unusually silent. "Wel— ...kid? Are you okay?"
She took a second to react. "It's okay uncle Terrorsaur, I don't... want to adopt Starscream anymore." She pressed one last key and shrugged.
After a brief silence she confessed. "I lied to you. I didn't want it for myself. It was a gift for..... for someone. Someone I should've asked beforehand if he wanted it...."
Silent, Terrorsaur watched the youngling walk away as an unpleasant feeling built up inside him. "Guilt...? You're feeling guilty?" Starscream mocked him. He ignored the ghost.
…
The cold breeze brushed against the soft plumage of Terrorsaur's beast mode, as he realised that, for the first time in his life, he was going out of his way for someone.
He transformed and set his pedes on the edge of the beach, to then scan the shore. Starscream was silent but even then, Terrorsaur could feel his condescending judgement.
Crouching in the water, reaching down and digging through the sand. The bot felt this was much worse than his patrol duties, however, something gave him the willpower to push through it, something drove him. Shame, perhaps? The need to compensate the little one?
Hours passed. The bot was still desperately digging through the sand. Frustration built up in his chest, giving him more energy to keep on searching.
"Can we leave already?" Starscream whined, as if he could feel the body's exhaustion.
"Shut up." A labored huff accompanied every digging motion. In an instant, Terrorsaur was surprised to find himself smiling. In front of him a clam bubbled out air. He took it out of the water and opened it, finding a big white pearl inside, shimmering in the moonlight.
"Why would you..." The immortal spark asked but interrupted himself as he realized the jewel was the fruit of Terrorsaur's labor. He read his host's thoughts before speaking again. "Wait— You're going to tell her that's my spark?"
"You think she's ever seen a spark?!" Terrorsaur snapped against the annoying voice inside him.
As he flew back to the predacon base he went over how things would go down. He'd offer the pearl to Whipsaw as the promised spark. It was all an elaborate test that she'd passed, unbeknownst to her. All perfectly arranged by the wise uncle Terrorsaur.
A lie to cover up another. The predacon may have learnt how to feel guilt, but honesty was something he’d still have to work on.
The next morning Terrorsaur opened the door of Whipsaw's quarters, excited and almost happy. He held a small metal box he'd found in the recycling bay. Inside it, the "spark" he planned to give her.
His smile dropped when he saw the youngling still asleep. She hadn't even transformed into her beast mode, probably exhausted from crying for having failed her uncle’s test.
"Whipsaw." He sing-songed, sitting on the edge of the bitlet's berth. "You did it, you passed the test." He did his best to mimic a proud tone and gently nudged the small bot to wake her.
Whipsaw didn't respond, instead, she just let out a sleepy whine. "You heard me, Whip? The prize is yours." He patted the head of the little one, still resting on the berth. "It was all a test of—" He hesitated. "—of perseverance!"
Whipsaw refused to get up.
"Come on, get up, don't you want Starscream's spark?"
As he shook the young predacon Terrorsaur noticed something that made his energon run cold. Whipsaw's whines weren't drowsy, but exhausted.
The small crustacean couldn't speak nor move her body. Threatening to fall into a comatose state, she struggled to stay conscious. All she could do was whine urgently, just like an agonizing bot would.
"W— What's wrong?" He tried to say it out loud but in a panic he ended up talking to Starscream.
The disembodied voice had a conclusion he'd been formulating ever since he saw Whipsaw laying down on her berth, keeping it to himself until his host asked for guidance. "If she wasn't immortal, I'd say she's dying."
Terrorsaur threw the box aside. Hurriedly, he picked up the limp body of the youngling and rushed to the medbay.
…
Terrorsaur's preoccupied focus was cut short by the deafening explosion of a plasma bullet mere centimetres from his helm. Starscream was about to formulate the words "We're under attack!" as a red and strong servo wrapped itself around Terrorsaur's neck.
"Look who we have here." Rampage's voice was corrosive. "Good old uncle Terrorsaur'".
His throat couldn't produce a single word as Rampage completely blocked his airway and voice box with his firm grip.
"It's so nice of you to spend time with your beloved niece." With each word his grip got tighter. "I hope —however— that you've been prioritizing my daughter’s well being as much as you prioritize backstabbing Megatron."
Terrorsaur's servos went to his neck, fighting to free himself from the crab's hold, to no avail.
"You've been doing so, right?" He could effortlessly shake the hanging bot's entire body. "You've been looking after her, haven't you?"
"Say yes." Starscream recommended, worried.
Terrorsaur shakily nodded.
“Is that so?" The aggressor questioned, before throwing his body with a decisive and brutal movement. "Then why is she in a CR chamber on the brink of death?!" With a loud slam, Terrorsaur hit the steel wall of the Darksyde's corridors.
As soon as he touched the floor, he kneeled and raised his hands, defenseless. "No, please, have mercy…" He pleaded, his voice weak, and his throat still recovering from Rampage's firm grip.
With thunderous footsteps he went after Terrorsaur, locking his arms behind him and raising him above his shoulders. "Mercy is for the innocent." In an instant, Terrorsaur hit the ceiling and then slammed against the ground, the echo resonating through the ship. "You're a cruel glitch who almost killed a kid by making her do YOUR job."
"You lab-made beast!" Starscream growled. "HOW DARE YOU RIDICULE ME LIKE THIS?!"
Clenching his fists, Terrorsaur spat oil out. He jumped up to grip Rampage's helm, in a swift motion he flinged himself forward and flapped his wings, dragging Protoform X through the ship's corridors. "Hear how the monster that eats sparklings for breakfast talks of mercy!"
Rampage anchored himself to the floor with one of his pincers, and tried to stab the bot on him with the other. Terrorsaur stopped the strike with his left servo, hesitant, and before he lunged to strike him again, he activated his plasma gun, shooting a burst of gunfire against the crab. The high-pitched gunshots were accompanied by a war cry that burst from Terrorsaur's chest.
"SHE SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DIE! SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE JUST LIKE YOU!" Shots ricocheted against Protoform X's head, it was clear he wasn't affected once he lined up his claws towards Terrorsaur's torso and, enraged, tore through the bot's thorax.
Terrorsaur wailed out in pain as he felt Rampage's hand tear through his chest.
His gun clattered on the ground. "If I had known, I would have kept her far away from lowly treacherous vermin like you." Pain shone through his voice.
The burning sensation in Terrorsaur's torso worsened as Rampage began to straighten himself up, standing up with help of his crustacean appendages, leaving Terrorsaur hanging off his hand once again. "And I wouldn't have allowed you to fill her mind with dumb ideas." Pain turned to regret. Suddenly, his other arm joined into the torment, tearing into the hole in Terrorsaur's chest. "You... You took advantage of her naivete with idiotic promises of giving her an immortal spark, one just like mine...." His gaze wandered for an instant, to then start to pull apart his arms. "…A spark just like the one she was supposed to have…" Terrorsaur shrieked out in pain as he felt his viscera be destroyed. Energon flowed from the wound incessantly. Rampage's fury tried, with all his bestial strength, to pull him apart by the torso. "…The spark she tried to gift HIM…"
Terrorsaur stopped feeling pain. The shock would've made him pass out, but something else happened. "...him? Starscream was a gift for… her other father?". The bot thought and he tried to cover his mouth in shock of the sudden realisation. However, he wasn't in control of his mangled body anymore.
From his maimed torso a bright purple glow emanated that began to manifest itself as pure energy that overwhelmed Rampage with painful convulsions. With his hands at the sides of his head, he jabbed his digits into Rampage’s optics, and released a powerful surge of ancestral Energon upon Protoform X. It wasn't Terrorsaur's doing.
Terrorsaur fell into an infinite black void. At the distance, he could see what his eyes saw, or at least— what his body saw. Like the projection of a distant movie. Was this what Starscream always saw? It didn't matter. All that mattered to him was the weight of realizing what he did to Whipsaw as the puzzle pieces fell into place. What did he think Whipsaw would do with an immortal spark? Keep it? How obtuse of him. "Idiot! Idiot!" He knew little of the kid's family dynamic, but what he did know was that her parents weren't on the best of terms. Was it all a plan to make her maximal father, Depth Charge, empathize with her and Rampage? The implications mortified more and more the bot who had never confronted regret. He never planned for this to go so far.
"Insolent animal, you have no idea what you've done!" Starscream declared out loud, the first time in hexacycles he was able to hear his own voice.
On Terrorsaur's back biometallic matter reformatted in a geometric dance to form a pair of propulsors, similar to the ones on a jet. Twin exhaust flames thrusted him upward, slowly pulling himself away from Rampage's arms, still piercing through his torso. Once Terrorsaur's body was freed, an evil smile appeared on his face as Starscream kept on electrocuting his opponent.
"YOU'RE NOTHING MORE THAN A BEAST!" A blinding light threw Rampage backwards, crashing against a wall. Starscream flew after him, and pinned him against the wall with Terrorsaur's legs. Grabbing one of his arms, he emitted another powerful surge that made Rampage violently spasm in pain. "I AM ABOVE YOU! ABOVE THIS BODY AND ABOVE MEGATRON! You and your spawn may think of yourselves as immortal but you don't know immortality! YOU DON'T KNOW TRUE POWER!" Exhilarated, Starscream ripped off Rampage's right arm in a showcase of viciousness.
A light chuckle soon devolved into maniacal laughter. Starscream went to grab his victim's remaining arm. "So what if I took advantage of a dumb brat?!" He pulled, tearing cables and ligaments apart. "It was easy and beneficial! I'D DO IT A THOUSAND TIMES OVER IF I SO DESIRED!" Triumphant, he tore off Protoform X's second arm, raising it up as if it was a trophy. "She's just as inferior as you are! Just another lackey!"
Terrorsaur couldn't not listen. Each word was torture. A painful reminder of how he took advantage of a child that just wanted to bond with her father. How did this happen? One second he was a prominent Predacon, unimaginably close to reaching the highest position in the Beast Wars; and now he was consumed by guilt and locked out of his own body.
For the first time in years, Rampage was disgusted by someone. The waves of pain waned as rage against such an arrogant and cruel bot consumed him, and for an instant he was able to focus on something that wasn't the agony his body was in. Protoform X realized Terrorsaur was abusive; that his hunger for power didn't know limits. He was immoral. Even though the electricity made him quiver and grind his teeth, he murmured. "…She is not inferior to anyone…”
With strength only Primus could've granted him, he put his legs firmly on the ground and, in a movement that cost him unimaginable effort, lunged himself forward, throwing Terrorsaur off him. Both fell on the ground, their roles switched. Now Rampage was on top.
"INSOLENT ANIMAL, YOU'LL LEARN THA—!" A screechy scream interrupted the decepticon's arrogance. Rampage had unlocked a piece of armor in his face, opening his mouth wide for the first time; showcasing rows of fangs Terrorsaur had never seen. Those razor-sharp teeth were embedded on the bot's shoulder, shredding mercilessly every cubic centimetre of biomechanic flesh. Like an old rag, Terrorsaur's arm was ripped off, remaining in Rampage's jaws. He spat, the dismembered limb thrown away.
"BEAST! ANIMAL!" Starscream's wails were futile, the fiend lunged for Terrorsaur's jugular, gripping the connective tissue with his maws.
Pure panic in his spark, Starscream surrounded Rampage's body with Terrorsaur's remaining arm and unleashed another powerful Energon surge. Much to his dismay, he soon realized that the attack was now useless, or more precisely, Protoform X was so consumed by rage he simply ignored the pain. "STOP! STOP! IT HURTS TOO MUCH!"
The biodermis was completely annihilated, the beast's fangs were closing in to both denser and much more vital structures. Starscream was screeching agony no bot had ever experienced before. Every newton of force injected into each bite pulsated with ire only comparable to the one a wild animal protecting its cubs could experience.
Deep inside Rampage, something else cumulated; an existential frustration that could only be expressed with animalistic violence and bloodshed. Protoform X had just discovered his daughter wouldn't accompany him into eternity. Her spark, after all, wasn't like his. In these agonizing moments, Rampage was, yet again, a mindless and incomprehensible monster. Why not act like one? Why not destroy each millimetre of this pathetic being?
"PREDACON, TAKE CONTROL! LET ME IN! I BEG YOU, PLEASE LET ME IN!"
Hearing the legendary decepticon supplicate for clemency, Terrorsaur couldn't help but feel disgust for the one who promised him an easy pathway to the top, and then, disgust for himself. They truly were made for each other.
No.
That wasn't the case.
He didn't want to be like that.
He couldn't undo the damage he caused, nor fix the broken promise he gave to Whipsaw with pearls.
But he could try to compensate for it. He could try to simply not be Starscream.
An echo deep inside Starscream's mind barely replied to his desperate plea. "It's not easy to front, is it?"
"SHUT UP AND LET ME IN!" The decepticon barked.
"Look at the state you've left my beautiful frame in, what incentives do I have to come back and bear the pain you've caused us?"
"ME?! I CAUSED IT?!" Energon pooled up in Terrorsaur's throat, Starscream began to choke on it. "I DON'T CARE! JUST LET ME IN, PLEASE! PLEASE, I'LL DO ANYTHING!"
Terrorsaur answered with a terrifying cold arrogance. "Anything, you say?"
"ANYTHING, JUST PLEASE SAVE ME FROM THIS AGONY!"
In an instant, Terrorsaur's body was limp and numb. His optics blinked, and he was in control once again. The situation they had gotten themselves into was much more horrific now that he could see it firsthand. Slowly, his senses came back, he knew the wave of pain of being eaten alive by Rampage would hit him soon, so he spoke.
"Tell her…" His throat was ripped open and soaked in Energon, not to mention the razor-sharp teeth gouging into his collarbone. "Tell the kid…" His voice was barely audible. "Tell her I'm sorry for deceiving her." Rampage's furious eyes focused on Terrorsaur, perplexed. "She's not inferior…" A fit of coughing interrupted him. "In fact… she's a good kid…"
Rampage squinted, seemingly offended by the words his prey had dared to say. Opening his maw, he let Terrorsaur's body fall onto a pool of his own vital fluid, mauled and in agony.
"Are you serious?" He asked genuinely, shocked at how desperate he was to be validated through how he raised his daughter.
…
A huge explosion broke out, a mountain crumbling, sweeping down both fauna and flora. Whipsaw clapped, delighted. "Now that one! That one!" She exclaimed, pointing at another small hill for Starscream to destroy.
If the ball of energy had a body, he'd roll his optics. "I've been doing this for an HOUR!". With his accumulated anger he shot a beam of purple energy that disappeared in the distance. Seconds later the hill went up in a monumental explosion, earning further clapping from Whipsaw.
Sitting on a rock, Terrorsaur watches on, resting his head atop his fist. His arm was attached with temporary medical patchwork and he'd been using special protection on his chest, at least until his catastrophic wound closed up. Still, he kept close attention on Whipsaw's health. She still looked weak. Seeing the youngling sitting down, clapping, Terrorsaur wondered if her small helm still was numbed by the pain caused by the falling stalagmite.
She'd fully recover, that's what Tarantulas assured them. However, it was difficult to get used to the idea that the kid could die. "Her spark doesn't have mutated regenerative qualities." Something along those lines. "I have reason to suspect she suffers from Congenital Insensitivity to Pain. All her nociceptors seem to show degeneration, it's as if they were turned off."
Only thing that Terrorsaur and Rampage understood was that she was completely immune to pain, which explained why she walked off the wound caused by the stalagmite in that cave with no complaints. Now they knew why she was such a fearless soldier.
It was all a huge misunderstanding, but everything was better now, Terrorsaur thought. Least he could do was present Starscream to Whipsaw and make him play with her. Only, of course, after warning the bitlet that if she told anyone about him he'd kill her.
He knew he'd never be able to kill her, not after what had happened. Even less so after getting such a tantalizing beating by her then armless father.
"Only one more mountain, Whip. Starscream needs to come back." He warned, everytime sounding more and more like an actual uncle.
“Only one?" The little one asked, pouting.
Terrorsaur exhaled, almost frustrated. "You little scrap." He muttered to himself. "Okay, TWO more mountains." He was being really permissive, but the amount of damage was too much; not to mention the Maximals would get alerted of the destruction sooner or later, neither of them were in conditions to fight.
Starscream growled and exclaimed eons old curses. The spark pulsated and glowed brightly, then blasting two energy beams. Each hit a different and distant hill. The first snowy mountain was hit, unleashing an avalanche; the second hit rocks that tumbled and splashed down into a lake.
Whipsaw was thrilled, happily clapping as she did little bounces. Terrorsaur copied her, sarcastically clapping as he stood up. "Well done, well done. That was a really nice finishing act, but it's time for Starscream to leave."
His sharp digits enveloped the floating spark, which muttered something among the lines of "…this is so embarrassing…"
"Bye, Starscream!" She waved goodbye.
"I hate you." The spark confessed as it was reabsorbed into Terrorsaur. He couldn't help but put a servo on his chest, wondering if he'll ever get used to the weird feeling of a live soul entering his body.
"Now— you've had your fun. It's time for you to go back to the Darksyde." Terrorsaur turned around, his hands on his waist in a proud pose. "Or wherever you want to go. I don't care."
His uncle’s presumed indifference didn't faze her. On the contrary, she turned to look at him, confused. "Uncle, You don't have to cover my patrol shifts forever."
Terrorsaur closed his optics, confronted by a weird feeling of nobleness. "I won't cover them forever… just a week or two more." He crossed his arms, back still facing Whipsaw. "You should be grateful."
Whipsaw pondered her uncle’s words, touched by a smidge of affliction. "I am thankful…" She approached and raised her hand up to touch his uncle's feathered back. "But I could at least help you do my tasks."
Terrorsaur turned his head, and deigned. "So you can annoy me as I work?" Was what he thought of saying, but couldn't. The words wouldn't leave his mouth. Guilt was probably still tugging at his heartstrings. So his lips trembled.
Perhaps bringing the little one along wouldn't be so bad.
"Fine, but you'll have to help out." After Whipsaw's small nod and excited expression she transformed into her beast mode. Terrorsaur followed her. The crimson pteranodon held the small horseshoe crab by its prosoma and flew off to another sector.
Once airborne, Whipsaw sighed. It was amazing to be up in the sky, accompanied by her uncle and their pet, Starscream. How long had they been flying? A couple cycles? Megacycles? The woes and worries of the past week seemed so distant, and they felt even more so with each metre they ascended. Perhaps it was the comfort of the fresh breeze, but a liberating sense of relief washed over her; realizing her plan to make her family immortal was destined to fail.
Someday, once she lands, she'll have to face the fact that —according to the grown-ups— she will leave her father behind.
For the rest of the terrestrial week Starscream was unusually silent. Terrorsaur finally had someone to talk with that wasn't himself.